Hey folks! Kia here. I thought I’d give Cody a break from procrastinating on blog posts and post one myself. Most clients don’t get to interact with me in-person unless I’m riding along with Cody during an appointment or event on the rare occasion. I work on the keyboard, staring at a screen, instead of beneath the horse, but just like Cody, I enjoy my job. Instead of forging metal and studying anatomy and physics, I have fun reaching patrons worldwide, problem-solving ways to improve the customer experience, and creating new material to publish. I am a storyteller.
I came to Dixie’s Farrier Service with very little knowledge of marketing and farriery. My experience only included promoting my own small business, being on various social media platforms, and having a couple different websites years ago. Cody approached me at the end of 2016 about the potential possibility of helping him, making no promises or guarantees, and the idea got pushed out of my mind by the busyness of life until he came back again at the beginning of 2017 with a job offer. I happily accepted the job as a social media manager and started my journey with DFS.
The first thing I did was learn about the company, their mission, vision, and goals and asked questions to clarify where they were currently and where they wanted to be. Next, I did a complete overhaul of all their social media accounts – cleaning up content (which I can advise to everyone reading this, scroll back through your accounts a few years and don’t be afraid to delete irrelevant posts or junk that is taking up space), updating information, and thinking of new ways to get the company out there and then started rewriting and redesigning their website. From there, I helped create a client packet, found sponsorships, started a newsletter, and most recently assisted getting the online shop set up. Cody and I manage the platforms together, but most of the time, Cody is the one who responds to messages and comments. However, if anyone needs to get a hold of me, they are free to email me (my email can be found on our website) or send a DM through one of our many platforms.
Here at DFS, we encourage continuing education. While Cody is off at a farrier workshop learning, I also find ways to educate myself further in both marketing and farriery, most often through webinars and books. Even this past winter while I was in college, I found an elective lecture to attend on Copyright. (Google is also a big help.)
I have loved seeing my ideas embraced and my work published and created. I can’t wait to see what the Lord has planned next for this company. In the future, I will write a blog post about tips on marketing your own business. If you have any marketing questions that want to be answered in that post, email me!